Huarpean | |
---|---|
Warpean | |
Geographic distribution | Cuyo Province, Argentina |
Ethnicity | Huarpe people |
Extinct | after 1630s |
Linguistic classification | Macro-Warpean ? Macro-Jibaro ?
|
Subdivisions | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | None (mis ) |
Glottolog | huar1251 |
Huarpe (Warpe) was a small language family of central Argentina (historic Cuyo Province) that consisted of two closely related languages. They are traditionally considered dialects, and include Allentiac (Alyentiyak, Huarpe) and Millcayac (Milykayak). A third, Puntano of San Luis, was not documented before the languages became extinct.
Kaufman (1994) tentatively linked Huarpe to the Mura-Matanawi languages in a family he called Macro-Warpean. However, he noted that "no systematic study" had been made, so that it is best to consider them independent families. Swadesh and Suárez both connected Huarpe to Macro-Jibaro, a possibility that has yet to be investigated.
Varieties classified by Loukotka (1968) as part of the Huarpe language cluster (all unattested unless noted otherwise, i.e. for Chiquiyama and Comechingon): [1]
Varieties of the Huarpe-Comechingon linguistic group cited from Canals Frau (1944) by Mason (1950): [2]
Pericot y Garcia (1936) lists Zoquillam, Tunuyam, Chiquillan, Morcoyam, Diamantino (Oyco), Mentuayn, Chom, Titiyam, Otoyam, Ultuyam, and Cucyam. [2]
The two languages had apparently similar sound systems, and were not dissimilar from Spanish, at least from the records we have. Barros (2007) reconstructs the consonants as follows:
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
Plosive | p | t | k | ||
Affricate | ts | tʃ | |||
Fricative | s | ʃ | h | ||
Semivowel | w | j | ( ɰ ) | ||
Lateral | l | ʎ | |||
Trill | r |
Allentiac had at least six vowels, written a, e, i, o, u, ù. The ù is thought to represent the central vowel [ ɨ ].
Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Huarpean languages. [1]
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The Huarpes or Warpes are an indigenous people of Argentina, living in the Cuyo region. Some scholars assume that in the Huarpe language, this word means "sandy ground," but according to Arte y Vocabulario de la lengua general del Reino de Chile, written by Andrés Febrés in Lima in 1765, the word Cuyo comes from Araucanian cuyum puulli, meaning "sandy land" or "desert country".
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